Tomorrow Will Worry About Itself
by Kierielle Huntington
Summary: The fire has died down, the night air is breezy, the crickets are chirping soothingly...but Rapunzel can't sleep. Mother Gothel's voice keeps echoing in the back of her mind - and Rapunzel doesn't want to admit it, but she is scared to give Eugene the satchel. Meanwhile, Eugene considers what might happen tomorrow when they enter the kingdom that hates him. Twoshot.
1. Chapter 1

_{Tangled belongs to Disney.}_

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It was a lovely night. The breeze was soft, the crickets were soothingly loud, and the grass was surprisingly comfortable.

But Rapunzel hardly breathed – she was afraid she'd wake up Eugene. She had her back turned and couldn't really tell if he'd even shifted, but she felt that if she moved a muscle it would wake him up, even if he was across the campsite.

Mother had those kinds of reflexive instincts. Maybe Eugene didn't.

But Rapunzel didn't feel like testing it out. Some sort of fear was tickling her throat and she had to figure out what to do about it. If Eugene woke up and asked her what was wrong she wouldn't be able to process it clearly.

It wasn't really even _fear,_ when it came down to it.

She hadn't lied when she told Eugene – _Flynn_ this morning – that she had decided to trust him. And she certainly wasn't afraid of ruffians and thugs anymore. And somehow thoughts of the plague and quicksand were not very concerning at the moment.

It was Mother's voice echoing in her head.

"Look at you...you think that he's impressed?!"

Well...she had, a little.

Eugene had _looked_ impressed back in the tunnel. Like he hadn't measured her up correctly before the encounter with the thugs. Like there was much more in her than just an annoyingly determined kid.

And it felt good - happy and warm and sparkly.

But maybe all guys who were coerced into going on death-defying adventures with you made you feel that way. How would she know?

She had no way of knowing.

After all, it didn't sound like a good idea to put all your faith in a happy and warm and sparkly feeling. But she wanted to.

Rapunzel hadn't had a lot of experience with people but she was certain he liked her at least as a person. He had told her his backstory...and she wouldn't be surprised if she were the first person he'd ever told.

She knew he didn't wish any harm on her.

But would he stay if she gave him his satchel back? Maybe the day had changed her more than it had changed him.

Maybe he really just wanted to get his precious satchel back and hit the road – the road headed _away_ from the kingdom and the floating lights.

Okay. So maybe it was fear.

But maybe it was more than the fear of being abandoned on a road she had never traveled before or the fear of what she would do after seeing the lights (How could she ever go back to Mother now? After tonight's conversation? After Mother had basically told her she was a fool for ever attempting this journey and that Eugene would ditch her once he got the satchel back?), it was…well, it was the fear of losing her first real friend (excluding Pascal, of course). A friend who made her all happy and warm and sparkly.

She would hide the satchel for now. She would give it to him – she _would_ – but when she had seen the lights. When she had a plan. When she wasn't so emotionally vulnerable.

She'd figure it out. After all, so much could happen in one day.

She felt better with that thought in mind, even if it didn't quite reach her heart.

And after forever, or maybe fifteen minutes, her eyelids finally shut and she slipped into a misty dream where firelight and deep backstories made her feel snug and needed.

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 **If you enjoyed that check out my other** _ **Tangled**_ **oneshots,** _ **Don't Spare Me**_ **and** _ **Your Dream Stinks**_ **! And let me know your thoughts - would you like this to become a twoshot? :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Inspiration wouldn't shut up, so here is Eugene's side. ;)_

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Even though the rock was turning out to be a less-than-heavenly pillow, Eugene didn't risk turning. Or breathing. Or anything related to movement.

He didn't want to wake her up. And after the day she'd had, he was certain that any movement within a quarter-mile radius of her would probably wake her up.

Although, he had no idea how Rapunzel could fall sleep right away.

Living isolated and indoors for eighteen years doesn't exactly prepare you for camping on the ground with a rock for a pillow and across a campsite from a real live man whom you've only known one-ish day.

Recipe for quick sleep right there.

But clearly she wasn't scared. That girl had a crazy-brave side. Bordering on concerning. After all, her life was obviously never going to be the same after her exit out of that tower, but here she was: fast asleep.

Well, good for her.

He certainly couldn't sleep.

How could he?

Tomorrow he was going into the center of the kingdom.

The reality of it hadn't hit him until now, because he had assumed as a given that he would find a way out of this. He had thought he could talk her out of it, or scare her out of it, or something. He wasn't seriously going to the very place that was offering a reward for his skin.

Except that now he knew there was no other way.

Something had changed. Something deep inside him knew that he was going to show Rapunzel into the kingdom and he was going be there when she saw the lanterns for the first time, whether he wanted to or not.

And at this point, he wasn't sure he didn't want to.

Scratch that.

He _wanted_ to.

Had it really only been one day? He felt like he had been a different person.

Maybe he had been.

After all, he had started the day as Flynn Rider.

Now he was Eugene Fitzherbert.

He hadn't seen that coming.

It had been so long since someone had called him by his real name, and even longer since someone had said it so kindly. It had an odd effect.

He found himself telling Rapunzel things that he had never told anybody, things that he wished he didn't remember. Things that he always would remember.

Eugene realized he wanted Rapunzel to have her dream. He knew what it was like to want something beyond his reach. To want family, wealth, belonging. Tough stuff to get.

Trust him, he knew.

But it wasn't so hard to go see the lanterns.

She would have her dream, simple as it was.

He could give her that.

Even if it meant walking into a deathtrap. There was a decent chance he could hide from the guards. After all, he had survived this long.

And if they found him? If he couldn't talk his way out of it? Well...

Eugene winced as he wondered what it would feel like to have a rope tightened around his neck.

Not good, he expected.

But he wouldn't be able to look back on this magnificently peculiar situation without regret if he didn't finish this trek with her. And frankly, he didn't her want to go back to her madwoman mother. He didn't need to meet the woman to know he didn't like her; what kind of a parent locks their kid in a tower?

He bit back what would have been an annoyed huff of a sigh. He had to talk Rapunzel out of even considering going back to the tower, where that witch would be waiting. But he'd figure out what to say tomorrow. After the lanterns. By then he'd know what exactly his plan was. He'd figure it out. Somehow.

For now, he had to try to get some rest. He had to try not to spend his energy mentally dodging guards a night early.

Tomorrow would come; and he'd face it then.

He finally dared to move his shoulder a little - no stirring issued from the other side of the camp - and he shut his eyes.

He wasn't sure when sleep came, but when it did, it came with an odd sensation of being wanted and a soft voice that formed his name.

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 **Review! Please let me know if you enjoyed it! :)**


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